Red
by TheCrazyNekoLady
Summary: Rai was bestowed with capabilities that surpassed most in the history of shinobi. He thinks that's he not the right person for the task he was given. More than half the time, he just wants to have fun - until the God of Death showed up.
1. Chapter 1: Lightning

Disclaimer: _I do not own Naruto._

* * *

 _ **Red**_

 **By TCNL**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Lightning**

* * *

A boy, no more than the age of twelve, was in a forest.

Silence resonated throughout the area. The only sounds that could be heard were the occasional snapping of twigs, fallen leaves being flattened, rustling of clothes due to movement, and the steady flow of a small stream to the ocean.

Rai was no ordinary boy.

Of course, everybody is special in their own way. It's just that Rai's situation was quite complicated.

See, Rai was not exactly born. He just appeared in the forest in the outskirts of the Land of Waves. Rightfully confused, he thought he was having a vivid dream. So he did what he could.

He explored every inch of the place. It didn't take long before he found a house, accompanied by the sound of waves rolling on the seashore. He presumed that it was very early in the morning since there were no lights in the house. Following a path from the house, he arrived at what seemed a village.

He continued down the path some more and soon found himself in front of an impressive bridge. There was a plaque with a carving that read 大鳴門橋, which meant, _The Great Naruto Bridge_. He grinned and traced a finger over the characters.

 _Accept my power and prevent the calamity. Should my sons falter, you shall be their aid._

He blinked at the voice that he heard. He looked in all directions, seeking the person who spoke. Before he could take another step, he felt heat clawing from his insides. He fell on his knees, trying not to scream. He clutched at his head in pain, as he did not want to claw at his eyes because they felt like they were melting off his face.

Unknown to him, a villager saw his predicament. The villager saw the boy's form glow with an otherworldly aura before the poor thing fell unconscious with a strangled whimper.

* * *

"Oh crap," I cursed as I noticed the sun was setting. I was meditating all afternoon and lost track of time. Meditating helped me grasp familiarity with chakra and I realized that I wasn't dreaming anymore so I poured my time on getting stronger.

I have a strong feeling that it was Hagoromo-sama who was talking me before I passed out. Who else could he be talking about? And I mentally broke down when I woke up in Tazuna-san's house.

I got up from my position, wobbling because my legs were stiff. Dusting off the dirt from my clothes, I started going back to the house.

"Haha!" I couldn't suppress the laughter when I moved my legs. 'If anybody else saw me, they would probably think I need to be locked in a room with padded walls', I thought as I tried to ignore the prickling feeling crawling through my lower limbs. I trekked down the narrow trail in the forest and soon found myself in front of a familiar sight.

I slid the door open. "I'm back."

"Welcome back, Rai-kun! Come, dinner is ready," the middle-aged woman greeted.

"Thank you, Tsunami-san. I'll be at the table after I clean myself," I responded and went straight to the bathroom.

After I collapsed by the bridge, I was brought by a villager to none other than Tazuna-san. Tsunami-san, his daughter, was more than happy to take me in after I told them what happened. It was astoundingly hard to make-up a story on the spot but I didn't have a choice. I just couldn't tell anyone, 'Hey I'm a foreigner and I know about a future where all messed up things will happen and I don't know what to do about it.'

The first few days after I woke up was difficult. Inari would look at me with jealousy, but I could see that he restrained himself. It made me smile, thinking that meeting Naruto taught him a lot of things. He started treating me better after a week, and I'm still not sure what brought it on.

I splashed water on my face before drying with a towel. I could never get over how _small_ I am when I look at my reflection. For some reason, I looked around when I was in seventh grade. So that's around twelve to thirteen years old. At least I didn't end up as half my original age. And I also look like a typical Uzumaki. Long red hair that hung till the middle of my back and pale skin. I guess it will be safe to say I'm a remnant of the clan.

And my eyes bothered me the most. They were soft, dull, lilac in color with successive rings surrounding the pupil.

The Rinnegan. I'm still not used to the new way I see things. I tried my hardest to keep my eyes closed when other people are around. I couldn't hide it from Tazuna-san and his family. After all, they were the first people I saw after waking up.

Honestly, I don't know what to feel about my situation. Of course, I just had to be dumped with the sort of power that can get me hunted down for or even killed. I'm already endangering Tazuna-san and his family just by being here. If somehow, someone saw me with these eyes… I really hope no one did.

Sometimes, I wished that I'll wake up to the sound of my alarm and everything will be back to normal. I'll go eat breakfast and get ready for my classes. Or just play video games the whole weekend, procrastinate on homework on a Sunday night and feel like crap for waking up after less than four hours of sleep. My life was a mess, but it was a manageable mess.

But here… I don't even know where to begin. What's going to happen? Why was I even here? I know what happened in the series. Everything turned out okay in the end. His sons never faltered. Well, maybe Sasuke did, but Naruto was there to make it right. Everything was fine, everyone was safe and happy. There was no need for back-up. Uzumaki Naruto's tale was done.

 _Clank._

The sound of plates and bowls being set down brought me out of my thoughts. I gave my face a final wipe before stepping out of the bathroom. Tazuna-san came through the door right when Inari and I sat down by the table. Even though he was obviously tired, he grinned when he saw us.

"Ah, Inari, Rai-kun, how was your day?"

"We both did some chores, Grandpa," Inari cheerily replied.

I nodded. "I trained after helping Inari and Tsunami-san with the household chores."

"Again? You somehow remind me of Naruto, kid. That perseverance is amazing," Tazuna said, laughing good-naturedly. Tsunami brought in a steaming pot and the we started digging in the good food.

"I hope Naruto-nii-chan will come visit soon!" Inari exclaimed with a mouthful of fish.

"Chew first before talking," Tsunami-san reminded him. Inari looked apologetic and chewed.

I asked, "Who's Naruto?"

Inari bubbled in his seat and excitedly answered, "Uzumaki Naruto is one of the shinobi that helped get Grandpa home safely! He and his team saved us from Gatō. Which is why Grandpa was able to complete the bridge and the village started getting better!"

"I see. So that's why the bridge was named that way." I paused. Am I even sure on how I'm going on with this? "You said that he's a shinobi. Which village is he from?"

This time, Tazuna replied, "Ah, Konoha, if I remember right. Why do you ask?"

"He might be a relative. My name is Uzumaki Rai. I was hoping that I could meet him," I said before taking another bite from my food.

"R-Really? He's your family?!" Inari exclaimed.

"I'm not sure. But I would like to meet him either way. You speak highly of him, so I bet he's a good person," I said and smiled a little. Inari brightened up more.

"Are you planning to travel, Rai-kun?" Tsunami-san asked.

"Yes." I didn't say more.

"Don't you worry kid – I'll get you nicely packed when you're going to leave," Tazuna said and he gave me an assuring pat on the shoulder.

A sincere smile bloomed on my face. "Thank you, Tazuna-san."

* * *

Chakra was something new to me.

It nearly drove me insane when I woke up and there were too many colors. I couldn't tell if I was just hallucinating. I woke up to a face with a small outline of blue. I wasn't frightened because the I could faintly sense that the person felt calm and warm. When I took a glimpse at the window beside me, I saw too much green, mixed with flickers of brown and blue. I had a panic attack and passed out.

A few days later, which brought me here, out in the forest near the sea, trying to stick this fifth leaf on my finger. I looked down at my hand and glared at the loose leaf on my pinky.

I tried making it stick again.

Seeing the chakra on my arm, I carefully segmented the chakra flow. Little by little, I let a miniscule amount come from my pinky. It felt like meticulously putting a sample on a slide, just enough for it to not spread over. I grinned as red flittered together with the small green.

I still can't get used to the fact that people, each and every single one, has a different chakra color. Inari has chakra with the shade of cyan, and it felt light. Tazuna-san has muddy-brown chakra that felt spread out. Tsunami-san was the one with the faint blue that felt calm and warm. Then again, Tazuna-san and his family only have faint chakra since they're civilians.

My chakra was something a little different. When I look down at myself, I could see dark red. It was probably a normal red when spread out. And sometimes, I could see a mix of black in it.

Closing my eyes, I relished in the experience of seeing without literally seeing.

Did that even make sense?

Five different points of green connected with red. Finding another leaf, I slowly trickled chakra from my thumb. The green stuck on my red and I repeated the process until all my ten fingers had a leaf on each. I breathed deeply as I tried to keep my mind focused while continuously channeling my chakra.

For some reason, practicing with chakra made me a little nervous. I don't know what's up with that, but every time I channel my chakra, I have an apprehension that I might put too much. Or too less, to the point that I would be pulling chakra away instead. The latter happened to a small brown rabbit that approached me. I was surprised that it wasn't running away.

I was fascinated with rabbit's flat chakra and I brushed a finger against its soft fur in between its ears. Feeling a slight tug, I got too fascinated and the next thing I know, the poor thing flopped uselessly to the ground. Its beady eyes stared straight through me. I remembered the flat chakra turning red when it passed through my fingers. The feeling that came with it is a different story.

I still haven't forgiven myself. I hated the feeling of leeching chakra. I could feel myself getting energy, but the wisp of death when all chakra was absorbed from the rabbit was fleeting and uncontrollable. I hated how powerless I was to stop what I was doing.

Putting too much chakra on the other hand is quite more bearable. I'm not even sure if it's actually putting too much chakra. When I had my palm out, I tried putting out some red from my hand. It felt cold and there was another sensation that I could only describe as getting pushed out.

I'm guessing that it was the ability to manipulate gravity.

And so, I practiced on expulsing the same sensation from different parts of my body. I remember Nagato doing something similar. Too bad, I didn't look much into his abilities. I still can't push a field from myself completely, since I had a hard time pushing it from the soles of my feet. Can't blame me if I didn't want to go launching myself into the hard ground.

Pulling things towards me was fun. Well, not entirely fun. I can still feel the phantom pain from pulling a rock too hard and getting hit right on the forehead. It bled a lot. After that, I was more careful in speeding up the pull. I'm not really sure how I would do if someone tried to throw a kunai at me or something.

I was pulled from my memories when the sun's warmth dropped a little. Opening my eyes, I let the leaves fall from my fingers. The sun was setting again. I stood up and dusted off my clothes. I hoped I could get better at this tomorrow.

I still need a lot of practice if I want to make this work for me.

* * *

A whole month passed before I was able to say that I was fit enough to go to Konohagakure.

I had a routine that that I kept to faithfully during the past weeks. I ran laps around the village during dawn until I was wheezing for breath. After that, I would go back to the house for breakfast, help with the chores and go out again to practice with my chakra control and gravity manipulation.

Tree-walking was easy because the chakra from the tree is similar to the chakra from the leaves. Except it's denser and had more surface. On the other hand, I wouldn't have progressed in water-walking at all if not for the fact that I love the water. I worried Tsunami-san a lot during the days when I would come back soaked.

And of course, gravity manipulation. I only got a little better after I managed to walk on the water's flowing surface. I somehow overcame my fear of expelling chakra from my feet and applied it. I was able to stay in mid-air while expulsing a force from my body.

There was still much to practice, but I have to go and see what's happening with Naruto.

Tsunami-san was tightening the strings on my pack while fussing over the food that she packed for me. Tazuna-san came into view, and was holding a beautifully crafted cane.

"Here kiddo," he said and handed it to me, together with a soft, black strip of cloth. I held my breath as I took the cane carefully and I stuffed the cloth in my pocket. The curve of the handle was elegant and the wood itself was quite heavy. Its color was dark-reddish brown. I felt a hand ruffle my hair, making long strands stick out awkwardly.

I saw his outline brighten up. "I'm glad you like it. Since you said that you can't let anyone see those eyes of yours, what's much better than pretending to be blind, aye?" He explained. Of course! I ran to him and hugged him by the waist. I was red in the face for acting like a kid… But hey, I'm technically a kid right now.

"Thank you, Tazuna-san! You're brilliant! Thank you," I gushed as I held the cane. He patted me on the head and went by the side with Inari while Tsunami-san secured the pack on my shoulders. I tied the blindfold around my eyes and I checked myself over. I was wearing a similar outfit to Tazuna-san. Everything were dark in color but I had my sleeves long, just in case it gets a little too cold at night.

"There you go. Be sure to _always_ check your supplies," Tsunami-san sternly said. I nodded in acknowledgement. I felt the warmth of sunlight as it started pouring in through the windows. I guess it's time to go.

"I appreciate everything you have done for me." I bowed down to my waist.

"Don't mention it, kid. Now go, before my daughter and grandson tie you down and never let you leave," Tazuna said, giving me another affectionate pat on the head. I nodded respectfully to Inari and Tsunami-san.

"I'll make sure to mention you to Naruto when I meet him," I said. Inari's frown turned into a grin.

"Yeah! Take care Rai-nii!" Before I could slide open the door, I was engulfed in a hug by Tsunami and Inari. Even with my eyes closed, I could see them dim with sadness.

"Make sure you eat properly. I will know if you don't," she threatened jokingly as she let go of us.

"Will do, Tsunami-san. Thank you. Let's fish together when I come to visit, Inari-kun. That's a promise." I smiled at the boy.

"Un!" He nodded with a strained smile as he tried his hardest not to cry. I looked away, my eyes stinging a little.

I bowed to them once more before I stepped outside. I could see their gazes on me until I turned by a corner and out of their sight. I looked on the road ahead and kept walking.

The Great Naruto Bridge, as huge as it is, looked so small compared to the things that were going to happen.

* * *

"That kid. It's hard to believe he's just twelve years old," Tazuna muttered under his breath. Inari already left the room to prepare for that day's carpentry lesson.

"He's very polite, yes. I understand what you mean. It's like I'm talking to someone my age when I talk to him. I still can't help but worry, you know?" She chuckled sadly, glancing at the direction the red-haired child disappeared to.

"Aa. He'll be fine, you saw how the kid moved. Brat is confident and knows what he's doing."

* * *

'This is fun!' I thought with glee as I zoomed through the forest. I lost track of how long I was running. I'm betting it's been quite a while because I think I just passed by Port City. Since it was still close to the sea, I figured I should go up north some more before going west to Konohagakure. If I remember correctly, there's another city ahead and that will be my stop.

And who knew that leaping from branch to branch could actually be fun? I thought it looked a little silly, but it takes skill. I grimaced as I remember how painful it was when I missed a step and hit my shin hard on a branch. Man, that was bad.

I kept on running, or leaping, while I reviewed the background story I made up. I tried to make it as close to the truth as possible. I didn't really like lying, especially to good people.

Alright, the plan is to keep it short and simple.

I'm an orphan. I don't know who my parents were. Megumi-obaa-chan took care of me until she was killed by passing bandits. I was able to run away. I wandered the Land of Waves until I collapsed and was taken in by Tazuna-san and his family. They told me of a team of shinobi that helped him to finish building the Great Naruto Bridge. And therefore, I'm here in Konoha, hoping to find a living relative.

Not to mention, I have a cooked-up genjutsu for them. As I told myself, simple and subtle is how you channel chakra into the person's mind without forgetting the purpose. I'll scare the crap of anyone who tries to mess with me.

"Heheh," I chuckled, already imagining reactions.

Refocusing on the road, or trees, I kept a steady pace until I arrived at a clearing with an archway.

 **Otafuku Gai**

You've got to be kidding me.

I… Uh, I don't know what to feel. I remember faintly that this is where Jiraiya and Naruto stopped to gather intel on Tsunade. Pfft, I bet Jiraiya only wanted to see the women at the brothel. I already have a bad feeling about this place.

I didn't ignore the pang of hunger and immediately looked for a place to eat in. I went in what seemed a barbeque house and ordered myself two full plates of grilled meat and a cup of hot tea. Not long after, the food was brought and I happily ate everything. I don't see the point of staying around, except to ask for directions, just to be sure that I won't get lost.

After I paid for my meal, I bowed my head respectfully to the lady who took my order. I saw her chakra flicker in surprise. She was courteous enough not to treat me like an incapacitated child. I went on my way with a small smile.

At the corner of my eye, I saw a group of three men with unsettling smiles on their faces as they followed me. Geez, do I look that feminine? I brushed off that thought and continued walking. Heh, let's see what will happen.

Hmm, let's see. _There!_ I turned right into to a dark, narrow alley. They followed suit. I kept walking until I was tackled to the ground. Ouch. My pack brushed roughly against my arm and my cane fell. They snickered as their leader, who was on top of me, fumbled for the hem of my pants.

In broad daylight? Really?

Time to act.

"W-What are you doing, mister?" I asked, making my lips tremble and did my best to look confused. Ugh.

"Aww, she's so innocent, Ganju-san," cheered goon number one.

"Yeah, you sure you wanna ruin the goods before selling her?" That was goon number two. So they have some human trafficking going on.

"Shut up! I wanna have some fun. The last brat was screaming too much," this Ganju-bastard responded. I felt my jaw clench. Really? So they're specifically looking for little girls to rape and then sell? I don't know where this feeling is coming from, since my sense of justice wasn't really well shaped before. But I didn't like it when they talked about easily destroying someone like that.

My breathing became harsher.

"She's scared now," cackled goon number two.

I barely heard it. I was too busy looking at the trash on top of me. There was something mixed in with his chakra. It was a strange color, like purple mixed with something I can't describe. The trash stayed still when I reached out to his face.

Information flooded me. How he raped his previous victim. How she cried for help, even though nobody was there to help her. How this trash just laughed in her face for her attempts. How he was planning to _have fun_ with a blind 'girl', thinking that she is oblivious to what's going to happen. How he was going to have so much fun when that blind girl won't know until she's already being ravaged. _How–_

I closed my eyes and gave in to the heaving pull from my fingers.

"W-What," was the last thing he could say before he completely stopped moving. My eyes widened under my blindfold. _Shit!_ It was his soul! Quickly grasping my cane in my left hand, I slammed the malformed mass into it.

He fell sideways, and I scrambled to my feet. My blindfold came loose.

"Ganju-san!"

"Why you!" The other goons attacked me. I grinned at how things were turning out.

"You'll get what you deserve." Seeing the same strange color on goon number one, I grasped at it and ripped his soul. I put their souls together within the cane. It hummed with energy… and something sinister.

Crap. I forgot to ask for directions. Better do it now.

"I'll kill you too if you make any noise," I lowly said as I pushed him down to the pavement with chakra. I felt strangely satisfied when he shuddered in fear.

"Which way is Konohagakure no Sato?" I asked. He sobbed pathetically. I pressured more force on his chest when he didn't answer.

"W-West! West of here!" He replied. Finally. I grimaced when the stench of urine wafted over my nose. How pathetic could he get? He did all those disgusting things, and now he's practically begging to be spared? Sighing, I abruptly tugged at his soul and let it join his companions in my cane. The body fell with a soft thud to the ground.

I looked around. Three _dead_ men were lying by my feet. By then, it just started sinking in.

I pulled out their souls. Of course they would die. But… to think that they would go for me, who appeared as a disabled child. To think that even in my condition, they would take advantage of that just to satisfy their sick needs.

 _I just fucking killed three people._

Do I regret it? No. They deserved it. I left it at that.

"What a mess," I said as I rubbed my face tiredly. Oh right my blindfold.

I was about to tie it back around my head, but I didn't do it. I want to see this world with my own eyes. With nothing in the way. I guess a genjutsu would do for now. Starting on the illusion, I nudged chakra around the outer corner of my eye and bit by bit, I visualized my eyes without the rings. I maintained the color and added white to separate my irises from the sclera.

Grabbing a knife from the pants of one of the goons, I peeked at my reflection. Huh, I actually look like a normal person. I fixed my pants and secured my cane and pack, leaving the alley with calm composure.

Before finally leaving Otafuku Gai, I paused.

"Too much power corrupts, huh," I mumbled to myself. Hagoromo-sama, I'm sorry. It seems that you picked the wrong person. I chuckled bitterly at the thought.

The sun cast a shadow behind me.

"To the West it is."

* * *

I pushed my body as hard as I could.

When I stopped for the night, I camped out at a branch on a massive tree that I found. The next thing I know, I'm waking up as the rays of the sun flitted over the dark sky. Careful not to drop my pack, I yawned and stretched like a cat. I was satisfied enough when I heard cracks from my back. Breakfast was pretty much uneventful. I chewed on the dried fish that Tsunami-san packed for me before leaping down from the tree.

"Shit!" I cursed as I saw the distance of the ground, zooming to meet my face.

Crap! I'm going to–

I managed to suppress my panic and forced out a small gravity field from my palm. It contradicted the direction of my fall and I bounced mid-air. I was able to put myself upright before I landed on the earth in a crouch.

"That was close," I muttered as I dusted myself off and exhaled loudly. 'Damn. I'm such an idiot sometimes. How could I forget that I slept on a _high_ branch?' I thought as I rubbed my face in an exasperated manner. I regained my composure and fixed my grip on my cane.

…

That sounds weird.

…

Hahaha! Alright, that was so immature, but I couldn't help it.

I leapt onto a low branch and regulated my chakra to let my steps launch me onto the next one. Little by little, I increased my speed. I was hoping to reach the main road to Konoha by noon.

I wasn't disappointed when a few hours later, a wide road came into view, and the shade of the comforting shade of the forest was abruptly cut by the open space. I heeled myself to a stop and turned to face the sight before me.

Two humungous gates stood not too far from me. Seeing it in artworks was nice. But this is totally different. Holy shit.

Checking that my chakra was suppressed to a civilian's level, I started making my way to the gates.

Holy crap. This is way too cool. I felt like a little kid in a museum.

…

Oh wait. I _am_ a kid. I rolled my eyes at myself.

I walked a little to the side to not catch too much attention while gawking. The gates were colossal in size. The symbol of the village was proudly carved on the middle of the gateway. The wide berth of the entrance is just a peek on how huge the village is. Holy crap. I could see so many buildings down the road and the Hokage Mountain loomed in the back. I could also faintly see the Hokage's office.

I stopped gawking when I saw one of the gatekeepers approach me. Kamizuki Izumo, right?

"Hey kid, are you lost?" Well then.

"No, mister. I was wondering if I could stop by a place to eat?" I inquired politely. As if on que, my stomach let out a soft rumble.

His eyes widened for reasons unknown to me. "It's alright, I suppose. Where are your parents?" He asked while looking around. I saw his eyes go over my face, down at my cane, and at my pack.

"I'm all alone," I answered before he could notice that I was observing him too. My shoulders slumped a little as that realization hit me. Homesickness hit me hard as my answer sunk in. I wish there was someone or anyone who could tell me that everything's going to be alright, even if just for a moment.

"…Sorry. Just following protocols. I need you to write your name down and you can be on your way," he said apologetically as he went back to the desk. I followed after him. He extended out an arm that had a clipboard and a pen.

 _Uzumaki Rai_

I handed back the clipboard to him.

"U…zumaki? Rai?" Izumo voiced as he wrote on his clipboard. Discreetly channeling more chakra to my eyes, I saw that he was putting in my physical description.

"Yeah, Rai. Like lightning," I responded childishly while gesturing in the air. There was a pause between them.

"That's a name I haven't heard in a while," Kotetsu said as he leaned forward.

 _GROWL._

"U-Uh, sorry." I couldn't control the heat that worked its way up to my face. This. Is. Fucking. Awkward.

Izumo's eyes flickered to the Hokage's office. No, no, no. Not now!

"Mister, could you please suggest a good place that serves noodles?" I inquired, successfully cutting of his thought on sending me to the Hokage's office.

"Ah, there's a popular place called Ichiraku Ramen. Just go down the main road and turn left by the street before the flower shop. Turn left again and you can see it right around the corner." I thanked them with a bow and followed the directions he gave.

"I think we just gave old man Teuchi a steady income," Kotetsu said jokingly as he nudged Izumo in the ribs. "Did you see how wide his grin is? Yeah." I grinned at that.

Also, I think I heard him say 'Itachi' before I was out of earshot.

* * *

I excitedly made my way through the main road. I was giddy. Like, holy crap. Never in my life that I expected to see Konoha in person. Much less tour in it! My eyes hungrily drank in the sight of Konoha and her citizens.

There are live, breathing people. I saw mothers tag along their children while they stopped by shops. I saw a couple of more kids hanging out by a dango shop, their parents looking miserable as they ate too much. I kept on walking and passed a pastry shop. There was a man who looked like he was about to have aneurysm on choosing which flavor he was going to get.

Konoha was truly alive, especially when you can see those small outlines glow with happiness.

During my walk, I noticed that some adults were giving me weird looks. I shrugged it off. Can't have my mood dragged down, especially when I was having too much fun.

The flower shop came into view. The sign read, _Yamanaka Flowers_. Huh. I never realized that it was actually close to Ichiraku Ramen. I was about to turn left when something in the opposite direction caught my eye.

I'd recognize that huge-ass fan and that puppet anywhere. Unable to stop myself, I approached the group. It was unreal to see people I've read about in the flesh. It's hard to absorb that they're actually in front of me. However, my pleasant thoughts were diminished when I saw Konohamaru struggling in Kankuro's grip.

I… Man, that's just uncool. Konohamaru is half his size, geez.

"Please stop before you make more of a fool of yourself," I said as I approached them.

"Tch! Another brat?" He glanced at my form. "Heh! What do you think you can do?" With that, he threw Konohamaru at Naruto and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. I furrowed my brows when I saw my pack and cane fall to the ground.

This dude is… "So uncool." I grunted as he threw me down. I saw Naruto's group stiffen up in apprehension. Sasuke stayed unmoving on his tree.

"Huh? What did you just day?! You need to know when you're in the presence of someone better than you!" Oh crap. Of course he's not going to stop. I just had to run my mouth. I grinned, despite my situation. This is going to be interesting.

He started to unwrap his puppet's cover. I saw his chakra flow increase around his arms and hands.

"You're going to use Karasu for this?" Asked his sister.

"These kids need to know who they're dealing with," he said with an arrogant smirk. He sneered down at me and I stared up at him defiantly even with my eyes closed. He then moved to unleash his weapon.

"Kankuro, stop. You're a disgrace to our village."

There were multiple gasps of surprise.

"Hahaha!" It's so amusing to see him freeze in fear at the voice of his baby brother. Oops. Now they're giving me weird looks.

"Thank you. I was afraid that this was getting out of hand," I said while picking up myself up. Gaara leapt from the tree and right in front of his older siblings. I had to look up just to see his face. The symbol of the word 'love' stood out in his visage. Now that I got a closer look, it must have hurt when he got it because it was a scar.

"What's your name?" He asked. He was making eye contact with me.

 _THUMP._

My heart almost burst, but I remembered that I had genjutsu over my eyes. I tried to calm down, realizing that he wasn't attacking me.

"I'm Rai," I said with a neutral tone, although I was shuddering inside. If I had accidentally given him a hint on my abilities, he might go after me. And I don't want to deal with a bloodthirsty Gaara. Nope. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, his eyes never leaving my face.

He's scarily good at unnerving people.

"Sabaku no Gaara. _Mother_ says you feel familiar." I held my breath when his hand ghosted over my face. I saw his chakra, tainted with Shukaku's malevolence, brush against my face. His sand also started moving. Shit.

"Let's go," he ordered his siblings and they disappeared at the corner.

I blinked.

What?

There were collective sighs of relief. Sasuke leapt down from the tree and glared at me. Um, okay. Now that I have a better glanced at him, his chakra was dark blue and it felt cold. Hm.

"Thank you. That was very brave of you to stand up to someone older," said a feminine voice from my back. I turned around and faced Sakura. Her chakra was light orange in color and it radiated warmth… and imbalance? Huh, oh right, she asked me something. I mentally smirked.

"It's no problem. Thankfully, Gaara-san showed up. I didn't want to hurt him," I responded. The shock on her face was amusing. Are extremely polite kids very rare nowadays?

"O-Oh, and um, where are your parents?" I almost rolled my eyes at her question.

"I don't have parents anymore, miss." She was once again shocked.

"How old are you?" I tilted my head at Sasuke's voice before answering.

"I'm twelve. And who are you, mister?"

"Hn. Uchiha Sasuke."

"Sorry, I'm Haruno Sakura, Rai-chan. This is Naruto, Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi," she said as she gestured respectively. My eye twitched at the honorific. Rai-chan? Really?

Remembering what she said, I took that as a cue and asked, "Naruto? The Great Naruto Bridge?" Naruto's expression changed from shock to a grin.

"Yeah! I'm gonna be Hokage one day, believe it!" Sasuke scoffed. I swear, Konohamaru had stars in his eyes.

"It's an honor to meet you. My name is Uzumaki Rai. Inari has told me stories about you and your team," I said as I bowed lightly.

"U-Uzumaki?! And Inari!" I couldn't suppress a smile at his enthusiasm. His impressively bright chakra glowed even more.

"Yes, Naruto-san. The Land of Waves is doing extremely well. I've been travelling for quite a while, but as I've seen, it's worth it. Could you possibly be a relative?"

"Yatta! Another Uzumaki!" I sweat-dropped. He wasn't listening at all. I yelped as I found myself on the ground and a hyperactive Naruto clinging to me. I yelped when I felt his hands on my chest.

What the hell?

Naruto's excitement was cut off by a scandalized gasp and a whack to the head. I even saw Sasuke's eyes widen a little.

"Stop molesting her, idiot!" Sakura screamed as she kept hitting Naruto when he was frozen. A second later, he seemed to realize what he was doing and whoa. I've never seen him move that fast before. He was back on his feet and was staring at me, eyes intensely focused in concentration.

"Y-You're a guy," he whispered. "You're a guy! I thought you were a girl!"

My eye twitched at that, but I decided to tease him.

"Aa, Naruto-san. Are you perhaps a homosexual? Even if so, I wouldn't look at you any differently," I said and couldn't help but smile at the end. He was a sputtering mess of denial and blushes.

"I-I'm not, dattebayo! I like girls! And you just look too girly!" My eye twitched again. I saw silver form for a split-second before a voice came with it.

"Ah, there you are." It was Hatake Kakashi in the flesh. Holy crap. That hair is awesome.

"Konohamaru, you and your friends should go back. Iruka is not happy," he smiled with an eye. With a chorus of a frightened 'hai' they scrambled and ran. Back to the academy I guess.

"Who's your friend here?" He asked, tilting his head a little to the side.

"Uzumaki Rai," I responded. I thanked Naruto when he helped me get up and pick up my things. Kakashi-san was deathly quiet as he looked at me, as if trying to find something. Err. No. I looked back at him and furrowed my brows in mock confusion. He finally looked away and spoke to the three genin.

"I've signed you up for the Chūnin exams. I think you're ready. Just show up at this address a week later. Ja!" He mock-saluted as he disappeared in a blur of leaves. Oh.

 _GROWL._

I felt like my head was going to explode out of embarrassment.

"I, uh, um," I wasn't able to finish as Naruto started dragging me to Ichiraku Ramen. I barely had time to get my pack and my cane. I watched as Sakura get rejected by Sasuke when she asked if she could train with him. Sasuke in person is something else. He's impossibly rude.

"Naruto-san, how about…?"

"Nah, Sakura always says no and bastard won't want to come," he replied with a grimace. Huh. He wasn't as… carefree as he was depicted. But then again, he's a real person now. Not just a fictional character. I also observed his chakra dim a little when he answered. How was he able to go through that kind of treatment like it was nothing? Even when we started walking out the street, I saw a couple of villagers look at him like he's unworthy dust in their shoes.

I was lost in thought until Naruto started talking again.

"Teuchi-ojii! My usual and a beef ramen with extra beef!" I stared up at Naruto in surprise.

"You need more meat, Rai! You're too small!" My eye twitched. I… I'm actually a little shorter than Naruto. Just you guys wait for my growth spurt. Tch. I sighed and let it go.

"Make that two bowls for me please, Teuchi-san."

* * *

 **A/N:** Rai has some issues lol. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2: Familiar Faces

Disclaimer: _I do not own Naruto._

* * *

 _ **Red**_

 **By TCNL**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Meeting Familiar Faces**

* * *

I soon found myself standing in front of the Hokage himself.

Naruto dragged me to his office right after leaving Ichiraku Ramen. He's too busy babbling on how he wants his new relative to live with him. And I'm just staring the God of Shinobi in front of me.

I was of course observing chakra. It was a bright yellow, flickering with red like a flame on a candle. It felt warm, happy, and dense. But there was a tinge of gray. Is it because of his age? His chakra coils were enormous, but not as huge as Naruto's. Then again, Naruto is an Uzumaki and he also has a tailed beast.

"…so can he live with me, Jiji?!" Ah, it's amazing to see Naruto call a powerful man with that term so casually.

"Let's slow down Naruto. I think Rai-kun is a little overwhelmed," the Hokage said as he put down his pipe. I realized that I have been silent the entire time.

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama. I'm Uzumaki Rai, it's an honor to meet you," I said as I bowed down to my waist. I felt a nudge on my ribs.

"You're too uptight, Rai!" I almost rolled my eyes at him. The Hokage chuckled at his antics.

"Rai-kun, before I could allow you to live with Naruto, you would have to answer some questions and undergo a medical check-up in the hospital. In the meantime, you can stay over at an inn. You don't have to worry about expenses." That was awfully generous of him. But hell, I already know that I'm going to have a trip to the Torture and Interrogation Department. And a check-up at the hospital? I'm sure everything will be fine. I just have to keep my genjutsu in check.

A little voice in the back of my mind screamed that I was overconfident. Hm.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," I replied. He waved us off with a smile, eye crinkling at the corner.

"See ya, Jiji!" I bowed to the Hokage before getting dragged off by Naruto again.

On the way out, I saw a couple of shinobi give us the evil eye. I completely ignored them and focused on Naruto. His chakra was flickering; the bright yellow was dimming a little.

"Say, Naruto-san. Since you have a headband, you're a shinobi right?" His face conveyed his shock then he grinned, his chakra glowing as bright as ever. I felt the corners of my lips twitch upward.

"You bet! I'll be Hokage one day and I will make everyone acknowledge me!" He's… really something. He'll even put his life on the line for that dream. Heh, I want to stand by his side until the time comes for him to take on the hat. But how could I do that? I'm not even a shinobi.

That's it.

"I want to become a shinobi like you, Naruto-san," I declared, making him pause.

"That's awesome, dattebayo! But eh, aren't you too old? You're the same age as me, right?" Hm. He's right. Maybe they could make an exception? Although that would mean that I would give away some of my skills. But if I did things right, they might even allow me to take part in the upcoming Chūnin exams.

I frowned. I only have a week.

"No matter. I'm sure Jiji would give you a chance when you talk to him," he said and I nodded in agreement. The Hokage most likely assessed me the moment I came into his office with Naruto. Yeah. I would definitely think that he did.

Noticing that we were at a clearing with a stream of water not far off, I looked at Naruto questioningly.

"Osu! I'm going to train," he said, locking his hands into what seemed a hand seal, as a couple more of Naruto appeared out of nowhere. The color of bright yellow multiplied a hundred times. Holy shit.

"This is so cool," I murmured, too busy to notice that he turned red from the praise. I poked a clone in the shoulder. It was solid. There's hardly a way to notice that this Naruto isn't the original one. My eyes glanced down. This one's chakra coils are smaller than the original's. I poked it again for good measure.

"Mou, Rai. Heh, watch me train, dattebayo!" He exclaimed. I sweat-dropped as all of them started beating up each other. You know, like those in a riot? Damn. No wonder his taijutsu style is unique. Losing track of time, I continued to watch in fascination as one by one, they started to disappear. The original's chakra was flickering, but I could see it was being tainted by orange and getting replenished by the second. I observed his bruises and minor cuts. They were healing fast, but won't there be consequences if he kept on going?

I fought down a surprised yelp when I suddenly saw Kakashi-san's silver chakra manifest on a high branch in a tree behind me. I breathed out. Maybe the Hokage sent him here, or he's here on his own to watch over Naruto. I recalled reading about the times he would just stay looking at the memorial stone in memory of Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin. Kakashi-san, even with his flaws, is a good man.

My thoughts were interrupted when I saw another bunch of clones come into existence. Leaving my pack and my cane, I ran over to Naruto.

"Naruto-san, you should take a break," I suggested.

His face became confused. "What, why?"

"Uh, how should I say it? I can see bruises and cuts on your face," I responded, but he didn't let me finish.

"It's fine, Rai! I heal fast, so no worries," he said with a cheerful grin. I sagged a little.

"That's the thing, Naruto-san. You need to recover naturally for the training to settle in your muscles." He just looked at me confusedly. "I mean, if you abuse yourself this much and don't let your body recover naturally, you might not be able to live long enough to become Hokage?" I said, not really sure. I bit back a grin when I saw his face pale.

"I-If you say it like that, it kinda makes sense," he nervously scratched the back of his head. I let out a relieved sigh when the new clones disappeared. I was about to ask him if he wanted to go for a snack when I was cut off.

"That's amazing, Rai! How do you do that?!" He pointed a finger down in excitement.

I glanced down to see what he was pointing at. I was standing on the water's surface and Naruto was on the small island in the middle.

"It's almost the same with walking on a solid surface using chakra. But walking on water is a little more challenging, since the chakra needed constantly changes? I'm guessing it's because water continuously moves," I explained, walking closer to him.

"You have to teach me that! Please? I don't mind treating you to ramen tonight!" Oh. I sweat-dropped again. How could I refuse? Ichiraku Ramen is tasty as fuck.

"I'll do my best, rest for a little while I go get my stuff," I mock-saluted him and rushed over to my things. Grabbing my pack and cane, I put it down the ground beside Naruto. He got up to his feet and turned to me.

"So what do we do?"

"Here, stand near the water," I gestured. "Remove your shoes, Naruto-san. It would be best to feel the water itself when you try it." He complied and threw his shoes near my stuff.

"Alright, first off, extend your foot and let it touch the water's surface." He put forward his right foot and let it stay on the water.

"Tell me, Naruto-san. What can you say about the water?"

"Eh, it's wet?" I almost fell to the ground. I waved my hand and said, "I should've made the question more specific. What can you say about feeling the water's surface?" He looked down and his brows furrowed a little in thought.

"It's… moving? I mean the it's from the river. Yeah, it's moving," he said as he moved his foot around. I nodded in approval.

"The chakra on it is also the same. Try to channel chakra to your feet, like how you do when you walk on a tree. And carefully try to firm up the connection of chakra from your foot to the water. Remember, since it's constantly changing, you also have to constantly adjust the chakra you put into your foot."

"Osu," he responded. I watched as his chakra travelled from his coils down to his feet. Yellow started to connect with blue. It was unstable, but he actually did it. I grinned in satisfaction as he fumbled and stood on the surface with one foot.

"Naruto-san, you did it!" I exclaimed. I mirrored his grin. He cheered as he took a shaky step away from the island. I saw his chakra flicker as he put too much on his fourth step and he fell on his ass. His face was painted with shock and denial. I couldn't hold back my laughter.

"Hahaha!" It was too late when I noticed him walking towards me. He put an arm around my shoulder and he hauled me to the water. I sat up from my position and stared at him.

I'm soaked. Ugh.

A boisterous laughter rang out from Naruto as he pointed at me. "Y-You look like a drowned cat! Hahaha!" My eye twitched. That's it! I manipulated a gravity field in my hand and flung my limb at him. His laughter was cut off when water completely drenched him from head to toe.

Our wheezing laughter echoed in the field.

* * *

"What are your findings?"

"He's quite the character, Hokage-sama. He was able to teach Naruto how to walk on water using chakra. It wasn't perfect, but Naruto was able to do it. He was able to take a few steps before he fell into the water."

"Aa." A crystal ball glistened from the light coming from the window.

"It also seems that he's a sensor. When I arrived at the training ground, there was a slight change in his posture, though he didn't look in my direction."

"Interesting. Did you observe anything strange about him?"

"His manner of speech. He reminds me of someone." Silver strands swayed as he glanced at the wooden floor.

Smoke flew into the air as the aged man exhaled.

"Uchiha Itachi. If only matters didn't turn out the way they did. I apologize for taking up your time, Kakashi." Said man just chuckled good-naturedly.

"It's no trouble at all, Hokage-sama." Kakashi's chuckle died down at his throat when the Hokage's expression became serious.

"There was something strange in his chakra and eyes. Did you notice something amiss?" Kakashi looked deep in thought before responding, "No, Hokage-sama. He just looked to be a normal civilian… Who can water-walk with chakra."

The Hokage chuckled sardonically. "Which is why I asked you to observe him. Even as years pass by, a sensor would always be a sensor. I noticed how his chakra, even if it was small, was as dense as a grown Jounin's reserves. He was suppressing his chakra."

A lone eye widened. "That's remarkable. But why would he do it?"

"He might be a sleeper agent. Or a spy, perhaps? The strange chakra on his eyes could be genjutsu. He might not me who he's telling us. Ah, forgive an old man's rambling, Kakashi. Please observe him some more until midnight. In the morning, escort him here."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." With a bow, he leapt up to the window and disappeared.

The Hokage rubbed his aged face tiredly.

* * *

The sun started dimming when Naruto and I parted ways to clean up ourselves. He went back to his apartment and I went on my way to the inn that I will be staying at. The lady at the inn's reception looked at me with judging eyes.

"Excuse me, the Hokage placed a reservation under the name of Uzumaki Rai."

She started fumbled for papers before talking.

"Did something happen, dearie?" Oh.

"Nothing, miss. I was travelling and I just had an accident by the training field," I replied as I flashed her a smile.

"Oh my, you're so polite. I hope you don't end up like that _thing._ You have the same family name, but I can see that you're nothing like _it_ ," she said with a cheerful tone. She then handed me a key that read 406. I clenched my jaw.

"Thank you. I'll be on my way." With a strained smile, I turned away and went to find my room.

'Naruto will be always far better than insects like you,' I snarled in my thoughts. Ignorance like that pisses me off to no end. I stopped walking when the sign on the door read '406'. I put the key in and put down my pack and cane. I was about to jump on the bed, but I remembered I'm still soaked.

I made my way to the bathroom… Wait, there's no bathroom? I groaned. That would mean I'd have to go to the hot springs. Grabbing a couple of coins from my pack, I went back outside and locked my door.

Finding the hot springs weren't hard, since there were street signs showing the way. Putting the coins in the payment jar, I went inside to the men's area. Yes, they don't have someone to take the payment. The management trusts you enough to give due payment.

After roughly washing off the dirt from my body, I stepped out of the shower stall and went to the hot spring. I was pleased to see that it was vacant. Removing the towel from my waist and placing it on a nearby stone, I sunk in the warm water slowly and sighed. Coming here wasn't bad at all.

I relaxed even more and pulled my knees to my chest. My hair hung limply around me as the parts submerged in water floated like blood. I put my head on my knees. Ignoring all the various colors of chakra around me, I reminisced on the events that happened.

Hagoromo-sama's words rang in my head. But I can't really accept it. The calamity as he calls it, has to happen so that the war would end. Everybody will have a happy ending. Does that even make sense? And am I seriously thinking that I'll let all that shit happen? Yes. Everything is set in stone.

I subconsciously fiddled with a ball of water that I compressed. Hm, maybe I could stop them from losing their arms. Maybe. I'll just have to wait for the right time and get stronger for now. I need to work on my chakra control. Maybe even make my own signature skills.

"I'm pretty sure we're in the men's section," came a voice from the entrance.

"Really, but there's a girl…"

"Troublesome." I'd know that catchphrase anywhere.

Lifting my head up, I was greeted by none other than the male members of Team Ten. I immediately dropped the globe of water.

"I'm not a girl," I deadpanned. Their looks of surprise were not impressive.

"Aa, if you say so," Asuma-san said as they all hesitantly went in the water. Damn it, do I seriously look that feminine? I should probably cut my hair.

No.

"What's your name?" I lifted my head from my knees again.

"Rai," I replied curtly.

"Sorry about earlier. You reminded me of someone." I sighed.

"It's… alright. It has been happening a lot lately," I said. He hummed.

"I'm Sarutobi Asuma, sensei of Team Ten," he said and looked at the boy to his right.

"Troublesome. Nara Shikamaru." I almost rolled my eyes but then I realized that this is my first time seeing his hair down.

"Akimichi Chōji." I straightened up and nodded.

"Uzumaki Rai. Pleased to meet you." I mentally cursed myself when I just noticed the silver chakra in a tree behind me. Why is he following me around so much? Probably under the Hokage's orders.

"Uzumaki? Are you related to Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

"I hope so. I have no other living relatives," I responded. Kakashi-san's chakra was unnerving. He was probably here the whole time. Thinking on what he might have seen me do makes me just want to go sleep. Actually, that sounds good.

I stood up from my spot and headed for my towel. I glanced back and saw the three staring at me in shock. The hell. Is it hard to believe I have a fully-functioning penis hanging between my legs?

"Take a picture, it will last longer," I joked and wrapped my towel around my waist. Shikamaru and Chōji promptly looked away with red faces. Asuma-san just laughed at his students.

"A pleasant evening to you," I said and bowed. Heaving another sigh, I went out into the lobby with the lockers. I washed my face with cold water in a nearby sink. I looked up, and my eyes widened as I saw someone in the mirror besides myself.

It was Yamanaka Ino. She had her back to the mirror as she took her stuff out of her locker.

Should I say something? I shrugged. There's no point in talking to her right now.

I went to my own locker and took out my shirt, pants, obi, and sandals. Kakashi-san's chakra was now right above the bathhouse. He's really tailing me, huh? I sighed again and closed my locker. After that, I made my way to the shower stall.

I didn't notice the Yamanaka heiress staring at my retreating figure.

* * *

Lying spread-out on my bed at the inn, I tried my hardest not to look in Kakashi-san's direction. He's _still_ here and I can't even sleep. His chakra was vivid and not to mention that he was observing me the whole time.

"Ugh. This is not working out," I grumbled and propped myself up. Taking my cane with me, I left my room and I went out to the streets. It was dark and there were significantly less people around. Keeping my genjutsu in check, I went to the training ground right across the inn I was staying at.

The sound of silence pierced my ears as I stared at the area before me. Trees were scattered and there was a small lake in the far corner. I went to it and stepped on the water.

I heaved another sigh as I saw Kakashi-san's chakra on a tree branch.

My cane hummed as I held it in my right hand. I still have to figure out what to do with the souls that I attached to it. And I can't really do much since Kakashi-san is here. I decided I could do some old routines I learned when I was back home.

I pointed my cane at an invisible opponent.

I widened my stance a little and swung down fast. Pivoting at my heel, I turned and sliced across the air, satisfaction spread through me as I heard the sound of wood whipping against the empty space. I quickly retracted my arm to slice upward. Withdrawing my cane back to me, I thrusted it forward with as much strength as I could.

Heat pumped through my arm as blood-red chakra blasted off from the end of my cane. The water sizzled as the beam passed through.

"Crap," I muttered under my breath as I quickly cut off the chakra flow from my arm. Heat, huh. Could my affinity be fire? But since I have the Rinnegan, I could pretty much do all of the elements. Ah, there's so much to explore.

What if I have this cane made into a staff? Hell, that's going to be awesome. With gravity manipulation, I could do a lot of aerial attacks. I grinned at the thought.

"How did you do that?" I whipped my head to look at the owner of the voice. Cold, dark hued chakra greeted my senses. Sasuke was in his usual attire, glaring at me as he demanded answers.

"Good evening, Sasuke-san. I was just trying to discover on how to use my cane as a weapon," I said truthfully. There's no point in hiding it, right? He grunted and narrowed his eyes at my answer.

"That was a flame," he said his gaze unwavering.

"Aa. My affinity is probably fire." There was a pause between us. Surprisingly, he was the one who broke the silence.

"If you're a civilian, why are you training?" He asked. I remembered my back story. I'm just going to give that to him for now.

"When I was young, I never knew my parents. I've only heard they died. My aunt raised me. She was killed in front of my eyes by bandits when we were travelling. I couldn't do anything to save her. I want to be strong enough to protect what's precious to me." I saw his eyes widen at my answer. However, it quickly turned into a sneer.

"You almost sound like that dobe," he scoffed at me. I rolled my eyes at him.

"To be honest, Sasuke-san, it wouldn't be so surprising, since we're related."

"Hn."

"But to be honest, I envy him. He's got a strength that I could only imagine to have. He finds it so easy to forgive people. I could never be that generous with myself and to others, you know?" I chuckled bitterly. Sasuke wasn't glaring at me anymore. He looked thoughtful on hearing my words. I glanced at him and he gave minuscule nod.

"What brings you out here, Sasuke-san?" I inquired.

He shrugged and said, "I was going to train, but I saw you."

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't aware you train in this field, Sasuke-san." Nightmares must have been keeping him up. It's not hard to notice the bags under his eyes, since his skin is so pale.

"Just Sasuke." I raised my brow at him.

"No need for the honorific. We're the same age." He reasoned out.

"Sasuke it is," I complied. "Spar with me," I said. He straightened up and smirked at me.

"Get ready to lose, Rai," he taunted. I smirked in return.

"Only if you lose first, Sasuke," I taunted back. The next thing I know, my right arm stung as I blocked a kick from him. Shit, that's impressive strength for someone of his age. I retaliated by moving my right arm away from my torso. He was thrown off-balance and I aimed a punch to his face. Heh, this could be fun.

He blocked my punch and swiped his arm to hit me on my temple. I ducked and aimed a strike to his stomach. He blocked it downwards we jumped away from each other. I lost track how long we traded blows. All I knew was I was having so much fun with someone who I don't have to be afraid of being too fragile.

I was breathing harshly when I flopped down on the grass. Sasuke was slightly out of breath and was sitting not too far from me.

"Thank you, Sasuke. You're very good in taijutsu." I said. I faintly heard him grunt.

"You're… not bad," he said under his breath. I laughed at the constipated look on his face.

"It's refreshing to train with someone who can keep up," I admitted.

"Aa."

Staring up at the sky, the stars shone vividly, a signal that it was getting really late. I got on my feet and turned to the Uchiha.

"I'll be going now. Thanks for the spar, Sasuke. Good night," I said then I went to pick up my cane. If it was not as silent as it is, I wouldn't have heard his faint reply of 'good night'. I smiled. Uchiha Sasuke, even if he was emotionally constipated, was not as bad as I thought.

* * *

I groaned as a knock on the door woke me up. Grudgingly getting out of bed, I turned the knob to see who it was. I'd recognize that silver chakra anywhere.

It was none other than my dear stalker, Hatake Kakashi.

"Can I help you, shinobi-san?" I tilted my head a little to the side. He gave me an eye-smile. How the hell does he do that?

"Ah, good morning. Hokage-sama sent me to escort you to his office," he answered. They want to ask me questions this early? That's fine. At least Naruto hasn't seen me for today. Knowing him, he would worry if I suddenly disappear.

…What the hell am I thinking?

"Please come in, I'll fix myself quickly," I said as I left the door open. I saw him sit by the desk chair in the corner of my eye. I quickly put my bag in the closet with my cane in it. Taking a glance at myself on the mirror, I tried smoothing down my hair. I glared at my reflection. No matter what I did, my hair would stick out at some parts, even though its length is down to my waist. Tch.

"Shall we go?" I inquired to Kakashi-san as I pocketed my key.

"Hold tight," he cheerily said as he grabbed my arm and we disappeared from the room. My vision spun as I felt increasing pressure as we travelled at a very high speed. I was suddenly greeted by a hard wooden floor as my vision cleared again. Picking myself up, I faced the Hokage.

"G-Good morning, Hokage-sama," I stuttered, trying to keep the contents of my stomach inside. I glared openly at Kakashi-san. He just had to use the shunshin, didn't he? He wasn't even out of breath, but here I am, almost puking my guts. The bastard.

The Hokage let an amused smile spread on his features. He dismissed Kakashi-san wordlessly. As if on cue, a towering man came through the door. Two long scars decorated his face. His black trench coat and gray uniform gave him an even more daunting impression, along with his intense dark green chakra. His boots thudded heavily against the floor.

"Rai-kun, meet Morino Ibiki. He will be asking you questions."

"Uzumaki Rai, Morino-san," I greeted as I unwaveringly met his gaze. It felt like his eyes were tearing through my soul. I bowed and turned back to the Hokage. I wonder, what's with the special treatment? If the head of Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force is here, I'm guessing I should be going to their division. But for the Hokage to call summon him, yet we're still here…

Closing my eyes briefly, I saw a gray-hued chakra right above us. It felt like… a wall? Like it was nothing. How weird. Is that the Hokage's ANBU?

"Alright. Let's begin with the easy ones," Morino-san said as he held a clipboard. The Hokage's expression intensified. I gulped nervously.

"Name?" Morino-san asked.

"Uzumaki Rai."

"Date of birth?" I paused at that.

"I don't know." He looked up from his clipboard.

"Where were you born?"

"I don't know."

"Age?" Trick question. I already said that I don't know my birthday. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it?

"Twelve or thirteen, I think," I answered.

"Who are your parents?"

"I don't know."

"So, tell me your story," he ordered. I nodded.

"I don't know who my parents were, but Baa-chan often told me that they were Uzumaki. We lived in the Land of Wave as far as I can remember. We were going to leave because of Gatō's corruption. On the way, we were attacked by bandits. They killed Baa-chan. I ran away like I was told to. I lived in the forest for a while until I collapsed.

"Tazuna-san and his family took me in. They took care of me while I recovered. They often told me stories during meals, and one of them was the story of the liberation of the Land of Wave from Gatō's corrupt hold. It was the story of Naruto-san's team. They mentioned that Naruto-san's last name is Uzumaki. I came here, hoping to find a living relative."

Morino-san was silent.

"Why are you suppressing your chakra?" The Hokage suddenly asked.

My eyes widened.

Shit.

"I-I…" Think! Think fast!

"Gatō didn't like shinobi. He hired shinobi that deserted their villages to do the dirty work for him. And he was paranoid. Any touring shinobi in Wave would either be driven out or killed," I replied. That was close.

The Hokage nodded as he took in my answer.

"Are you a sensor, Rai-kun?" He then asked.

I frowned. "I'm not sure what the exact definition of a sensor is, Hokage-sama. But I can sense if someone is nearby," I replied. I glanced upwards. The Hokage's eyes narrowed.

"Hokage-sama, do you have ANBU here right now?" I inquired. He frowned and crossed his fingers.

"No. Why do you ask, Rai-kun?" Uh oh.

"There's someone above us, Hokage-sama," I said and the gray-hued chakra flickered in surprise. The Hokage seemed to notice too, because he was staring at the place where the gray chakra is. After a second, it was gone.

"How did you know that someone was there, when I didn't sense it?" He questioned, his eyes narrowing. Crap. I didn't know he's a sensor.

"I-I… I can see their chakra," I replied softly. If he was surprised, he didn't show it. Morino-san was still observing me intently. This is not looking good. If I continue lying through my teeth, this is definitely going to blow up in my face.

"Since that person is gone, may I say something?" At my request, they nodded. It seems that they also want me to talk.

Heaving a sigh, I readied myself.

"I'm sorry if I hid things from you. Besides my chakra suppression, I have to disclose one more thing. Hokage-sama, I presume that you have noticed that something was strange in my eyes?"

"Aa, I did notice it. It's a very well-made genjutsu for your age, Rai-kun." I smiled a little at the complement. I undid the genjutsu slowly. I withdrew the chakra around my eyes.

"Kami…" The Hokage drifted off in thought.

"A bloodline?" Morino-san asked, his eyes never leaving my face.

"I don't know. I thought Naruto-san would have it too, but he doesn't," I responded while I looked at the floor.

"I need Jiraiya back here as soon as possible. Send a summon through the aviary right away," Hokage-sama said to Morino-san. Crap. I'm already starting to change something. Morino-san left with a salute. The Hokage turned to me.

"Child, keep your genjutsu on your eyes. I'll give my answer to Naruto's request in a few days. Now go, this old man has a lot to do," he said as he lit up his tobacco. I noticed how he didn't mention the medical check-up in the hospital. I grinned inwardly as I re-coated my eyes with genjutsu.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," I said as I bowed and walked out of his office. I felt myself frowning, despite the fact that it didn't go as bad as I thought it would.

Why did the Hokage summon Jiraiya back in urgency? What would that do for the Chūnin exams? Can the Hokage's death be prevented if he answers the summon as early as he could? A million more questions ran through my mind.

After all that, I remembered that I forgot to ask if I could become a shinobi. Damn it.

* * *

People bustled through the streets as another day started.

On the way back to the inn, I passed by Yamanaka Flowers. Seeing that they were already open, I went in. I have an idea on what to do for today.

"Eh? Rai-kun? What are you doing here?" I blinked. Huh, at least she's not calling me Rai-chan.

"Good morning, Haruno-san. I came to buy flowers," I replied. Her face turned a little red.

"Sorry, that was a stupid question," she said as she started fiddling with the hem of her dress. Strange. I expected her to be more of a loudmouth, not the second coming of Hyūga Hinata.

"Don't worry about it, Haruno-san. I understand where you're coming from," I replied as I inspected a couple of lavenders. Hm, they seem fitting.

"YOU!" I was startled out of my thoughts. Pale blonde hair and sky blue eyes bored into me.

"Yes?" What does she want from me? I suddenly became wary, remembering all the mind jutsu that her clan has.

"Oh um, I mean, I saw you in the…" She trailed off. Phew. I thought it was something serious.

"At the hot springs?" I supplied. Her eyes widened and she nodded. I chuckled and said, "Ah, I apologize if I seemed rude. I did not want to startle you." She shook her head.

"I w-was going to say hi." I glanced at Sakura, who was silently observing us. I took twelve stalks of lavender and went to the counter. I placed the flowers down gently and fished coins out my pocket.

"I'm Uzumaki Rai, shinobi-san," I stared into her eyes. Her chakra, which I just realized, had the color of peach, brightened a little. The corners of her mouth tilted upward.

"Yamanaka Ino. Is this for, um, a girl?" She avoided my gaze as she wrapped up the flowers. This time, I openly laughed. She turned away, her face a little red. What now, is she sick?

"Lavenders also symbolize peace, right? I'm going to offer a prayer for my family." Her eyes widened as she stared back at me. Her brows creased a little, but I put up a hand to stop her.

"No need to apologize, Yamanaka-san." She looked at me unsurely and handed me the flowers. I smiled at her and bowed a little to her and Sakura before going out of the store without another word. Once I was outside, I breathed deeply, letting the fresh air fill my lungs.

The Memorial Stone was quite far, since it was almost in the opposite direction of the flower shop. There was a small gate on the village wall that led to it. What surprised me was seeing the three logs before the stone.

Oh right. This is where Team Seven had their survival exercise with Kakashi-san. I checked the area and saw that there was no one else there. I approached the stone and I carefully set down the bouquet of flowers.

There were so many names. So many. The realization gave me anxiety. If I become a shinobi and die in a mission, I would be nothing but a carved memory on a stone. I clenched my fists unconsciously. It doesn't matter if the story is already set in stone. Not anymore.

I stared hard and long at the names.

"This time," I whispered. I'll get my head out of my ass and not just be an observer. I took a shuddering breath and flopped down.

What's with me today? I didn't expect things to affect me this much. The stone. Is there something about it? I stared at it again and there wasn't anything unusual.

 **You are of the waves and wind. Fleeting.**

What? I whipped my head, looking for the source of the voice. I scanned my surroundings again with my eyes. There was no one there.

"I'm… waves and wind? What do you mean? Who, no, where are you?" I asked.

 **The child of birth after death. Finally reunited with what you once held dear.** The voice echoed. My heart lurched painfully in my chest.

"R-Rebirth? I'm not dead, I-I…" I felt like I was suffocating.

 **Stop running away. The truth will always follow you behind.**

"Who are you to tell me I died?! I'm not – I'm here," I protested weakly. The voice in the back of my head screamed that I should get over myself.

 **Have you ever questioned why you were put in this world again? You've rested enough. Death does not forget debts.**

I couldn't breathe. What did he mean by 'again'? I gasped as I tried to get air into my lungs.

 **Remember, and do not fail.**

I cried out as pain exploded in my head. There was so much red. Too much red. It felt like my head was being squeezed through a small tunnel with needles in it. I closed my eyes, but red still flooded my vision. At the end of the tunnel, I saw yellow.

Red obscured my vision and I had to lean just to see the yellow beyond it. I reached out, using what's left of my strength, and extended my arm towards that little glimpse of hope.

"N-Naruto…"

There was life and it made me happy.

* * *

It has been a long time since Hatake Kakashi got scared.

And the kid that he was holding down was the source of his distress.

He was having a normal lazy morning when the Hokage summoned him. He was ordered to monitor Uzumaki Rai yet again. Since it was ordered by the Hokage himself, he can't pull his tardiness stunt. And so he went on his way to the memorial stone for a quick visit. He didn't expect for someone to be there when he arrived.

"I'm… waves and wind? What do you mean? Who, no, where are you?" He immediately suppressed his chakra, but it seemed that it doesn't really matter, since the kid looked like he was talking to someone.

"R-Rebirth? I'm not dead, I-I… Who are you to tell me I died?! I'm not – I'm here…" Kakashi didn't neglect to absorb what the kid was saying, so he thought that the Uzumaki was having a hallucination. That train of thought immediately stopped when he saw an ethereal outline hovering over the kid.

'S-Shinigami,' he thought as insides screamed for him to get away. The unearthly being pulled a knife under a sleeve and pulled a mass of blue from its stomach. Kakashi's stomach churned as he saw the mass of blue get literally cut off with the knife.

" **Remember then forget, and do not fail."** After that, the Shinigami dissipated into nothingness.

The Uzumaki on the ground let out a pain-filled scream as he clutched onto his head for dear life. His eyes were open and he was writhing. Kakashi flickered from his spot and stopped the young boy from scratching his eyes out. What made him pause was the expression of pure agony and desperation on such a young face. It brought back unpleasant memories.

The boy then reached out an arm from Kakashi's slackened grip. Kakashi watched as he reached out for something unseen. Then the boy smiled.

"N-Naruto…" Kakashi noted the familiarity that came with it. It unsettled him. Then the boy mumbled that made him freeze.

"...This is your dad… Listen to… your nagging mother." The jōnin couldn't move.

"I'm sorry." With that, the light in the Uzumaki's eyes faded as his eyes changed and his hand fell limply. Kakashi somehow snapped out of his thoughts. He quickly checked the kid for a pulse and sighed in relief that he found albeit a weak rhythm.

'His eyes, I've never seen this dōjutsu before,' he thought as he closed the boy's lid and propped him up his arms. Summoning one of his ninken, he asked Pakkun to deliver an urgent message to the Hokage. Securing the weight on his arms, he went straight to the hospital.

"Sensei. What's going on?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Ohhh. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3: Return

Disclaimer: _I do not own Naruto._

* * *

 _ **Red**_

 **By TCNL**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Return**

* * *

The Hokage and two elite jōnin stood inside the room of one Uzumaki Rai. The medics said that there was nothing really wrong with the boy, except for severe mental exhaustion.

"I'll have Inoichi take a look at your memories. I fear that you are right, Kakashi," the aged man said as he stared at the sleeping boy. He looked so peaceful, a little too peaceful if you asked him. The only indication that he's alive would be his steady, shallow breaths.

"It's possible. He was holding back earlier when I was getting his background information. Especially about his family," Ibiki added while rubbing his chin with his thumb. He clicked his tongue. "Tch, this week is going to be hell."

"I have no doubt about that. Under no circumstances that the events that transpired will be disclosed to _anyone_ , am I understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," chorused the two men. The Hokage sighed deeply.

"We will have to wait for him to wake up before asking questions. If we had a Yamanaka do it right now, it will most likely cause a permanent damage to his mind," Ibiki informed the Hokage. The latter nodded grimly.

"Sensei…" Both men turned to Kakashi. "If this is really sensei, then why? And how?"

"It probably has to do with the Death Reaper Seal. That jutsu takes the user's soul and what you saw is the Shinigami himself," explained the Hokage. Glancing at the window, memories that were so far away resurfaced as if they just happened yesterday. The people injured, his men dying, and his wife and family killed. And when he saw Minato and Kushina lying dead on the ground, with little Naruto crying, he was afraid his worn heart couldn't take any more.

"I've failed Sensei and Naruto. Naruto… he grew up all alone," Kakashi whispered morosely under his breath. The Hokage put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We all were struggling, Kakashi."

Ibiki's expression turned from solemn into serious. "Kakashi, you mentioned that he said 'waves and wind'," he paused. "Either way, we have a lot on hour hands, with the Chūnin Exams coming."

"Aa. We should go and let the boy rest. I will station ANBU to guard this room and I will also have a specialized medical staff for him," the Hokage said and turned to the door. Ibiki and Kakashi followed the aged man outside the room. But not before Kakashi glanced back at the sleeping boy with worry.

* * *

I groaned and turned to my side.

The light passing through the window was unbearably bright and I didn't want to get up yet. Slowly opening my eyes, I welcomed the sight of colors. There were two people by the door. 'Huh, did they tighten the security even at the inn?' I thought as I pushed myself up.

I looked down and red framed the sides of my face, pooling around my arms. I jerked back.

'What's wrong with me? It's just my hair,' I thought as I rubbed my face tiredly and yawned. What was I doing anyway? I can't be sleeping when I'm supposed to be… To be what? Ugh, I must be really tired then. I grumbled as pushed the white blanket from me.

White? I thought the blanket I had was beige?

My breath hitched and I pushed the cloth all the way from my body. I was wearing white. A hospital gown. What–

 **Remember, and do not fail.**

I gasped as my head exploded in pain. Memories came flooding back in and I gripped my head as tears flowed out of my eyes. Everything came back to me.

The war.

My team.

My Initiation.

The masked man.

The Kyūbi.

Kushina.

Naruto.

 _Naruto._

I sobbed. What was I doing?! Why was I – I lived another life. In that world where everything was fine. Where it was normal… I clenched my fists tightly.

A pathetic whimper came from me as I reminisced in my memories. Uzumaki Rai wasn't real in the first place. But Rai was my name when I was in _that_ place. Agh! I don't understand. Why was I brought back? I had no regrets. I willingly gave my life to protect the village and her people. I made Naruto a hero.

No.

Naruto was no hero to the village right now. He's hated. All those looks thrown at him. I can't stand it. My son. My little boy. He was suffering. And I was living a completely peaceful life. I hated it. I _hate_ it.

I can't forgive myself. What was I doing? I want nothing more than to scream and cry until I'm too exhausted to feel anything. It hurts so much because everything is real. Everything is real, and I don't fucking know what to do!

" _You can't curse in front of people, Minato! That wouldn't look good on a future Hokage!"_

Jiraiya-sensei…

My face contorted as I failed in holding back the renewed onslaught of tears.

I failed, Sensei. I failed Kushina. I failed Naruto.

Kushina. My heart clenched painfully. I can't ever hear her boisterous laughter again. And her grin, the way she brightens up the room when she comes in. And the way she looked at me like I was the only person in the world. She was the one who kept me sane through the workload of being Hokage. She was there. She was always there and she was the only one who completely understood what I was going through.

She's gone.

" _Stop sulking, Minato-baka! Your girly face is getting girlier! There's only one thing to do, and that's to keep moving forward, dattebane!"_

I smiled through my tears. "You always knew what to say, Kushina", I whispered as I wiped my face messily. I promise, I won't let Naruto take all the burden of the prophecy alone. Not this time. And Sasuke… Kami knows how much pain that child is bottling up.

There's so many things to do. I can't stay here.

I glanced around. There's two ANBU outside this room, judging by the size of their reserves. Slowly compressing my chakra until I can almost sense nothing, I breathed in to calm myself down and soundlessly pulled the wires and needles in my arm. I quiet changed into my clothes that was set on the table at the end of the bed.

I was about to pull the window open when I stopped.

'They would definitely hear that,' I thought as I observed the rust that was accumulating beneath the metal framing the glass. I was a little lost in thought when I caught a glimpse of my reflection. Rimmed eyes stared back at me under the moonlight. I quickly spread my chakra and watched as they morphed into… eyes similar to Kushina's.

I sighed sadly.

How do I get out of here without them knowing? There was no other exit, except the door. I glanced back and saw the chakra of the two ANBU still there. I quickly separated a part of my chakra and solidified it. A solid replica of my face stared back at me.

"Change into these," I whispered and my clone nodded and got to work.

"Don't dispel until I'm back." He nodded. Getting back on the bed, he pulled the covers back halfway and pushed the window open. As expected, it immediately alerted the ANBU. I rapidly gathered my chakra and soared through the night sky. I didn't stop until I could see familiar architecture and hear the soft rush of water from a distance.

Of course, the area was deserted. I walked through the street with melancholic nostalgia.

The familiar tea house that Mikoto, Fugaku, Kushina and I frequented was left open and dust covered the whole place. Our wives would chat while Fugaku would complain, um, _tell_ me about a couple of children pranking some of squads in patrol.

But now, they're gone too.

'I'm sorry Fugaku, Mikoto.' I blinked my eyes at the stinging feel. The torn Uchiha clan banner swayed in the soft breeze. I gathered my chakra again sped through the empty compound. After a couple of seconds, I stopped in front of an abandoned house.

No, this used to be my home. When I was just Minato, not the Hokage or the Yellow Flash. When Kushina was here.

I carefully opened the door. The furniture that I was so used to seeing clean was covered in years' worth of dust and grime. I clenched my fist on my chest as I tried to push down the surfacing pain. Shaking my head, I went straight to the bedroom.

I knelt down in front of the bed placed my palm on the floorboard. I channeled chakra into it and heard a click in the closet. I opened the closet door and was hit by a wave of nostalgia as I saw the clothes on the racks.

I laughed softly. 'I doubt that they'd fit me now,' I thought as I avoided looking at Kushina's clothes and crouched in the middle of the small room. I channeled my chakra once more and activated the seal that led me to the hidden basement. Flicking my finger, I applied a short deposit of high-temperature chakra and lit up the room.

Everything else was the same, with the scrolls lying around and my other stuff scattered everywhere. I approached my old work desk and opened the right-hand drawer. I paused and saw a candle at the edge of the table. I pulled it towards me and put the flame on it. Pushing its saucer away from me, I relished the familiar feeling of holding my kunai.

'I need to get my body back to shape,' I thought as I started making seals. I gulped. 'This is going to hurt,' I grimaced as the kunai came in contact with my forearm. I started carving the symbols I needed for a hybrid of summoning and storage seal. After I was finished, I put the kunai down and rummaged through the scattered scrolls on the floor and found the one I was looking for.

It was a medium-sized scroll that contained a lot of the three-pronged kunai I use for Hiraishin. I nicked my thumb on my kunai and dashed the blood across the still-bleeding seal. I winced as I put the scroll on top of my forearm and activated the seal with a surge of chakra. It disappeared with a silent 'poof'. I added two more scrolls containing more of my kunai.

I sat back on the dusty chair and held the bloody kunai with my right hand and did the same to my left arm. 'Shit. If Kushina was here, I'm sure I'm going to get an earful on why I shouldn't use blood as an ink,' I thought with fondness, trying to distract myself of registering the pain coming from my arms.

I added scrolls into the seal and breathed an exhausted sigh. Having 6 scrolls of sealed kunai with the Hiraishin seals, I had around 1200 kunai in my arms. Hm, that's way more than what I used during the war with Iwa.

I shrugged and blew out the candle before going back to the bedroom. Crap, I need to get my arms clean before it gets infected. I went to the bathroom and got the first-aid kit we had below the sink and left the house. I glanced back one more time before going straight to Naka River.

The river glowed under the moonlight. I gently placed the kit down by the riverbank and sat on my heels. I took the kunai in my mouth and settled my teeth on the handle. Slowly leaning forward, I dipped my arms into the cold water.

"Agh," I gasped, even with the kunai in my mouth. It was extremely painful but I just let it stay then and watch my blood flow from the wound. When the sting alleviated a little, I took out my arms and opened the kit. I grimaced at the antiseptic. This is going to be _fun_.

I muffled my yelps with the kunai while I was cleaning my arms. I tried as much as I could to be careful in cleaning and bandaging them so that the seal won't be altered. I sighed in relief when I cut the excess bandage off with the kunai.

"Damn it," I muttered, staring into the night sky. I still have to go back to my clone.

The eerie silence drowned the sound of the river. What am I going to do about Obito? Most things happened because of him. But then again, he helped to defeat Uchiha Madara in the end. I extended my right arm upward, remembering how I threw the kunai at him. It passed through and I was able to teleport above him and partially hit him with Rasengan.

"Why is everything so wrong," I mumbled as I sat up. I threw the kunai I had on the trunk of the tree and teleported above it. I gripped it in my hand while I applied chakra to my feet. The familiar rush of the pull of teleportation made me smile a little.

I dropped to the ground and extended my right arm, while my left hand was holding onto the Hiraishin kunai. With my palm wide open, I began channeling my chakra and rotated it at a high speed.

Blood red shone on my face as the Rasengan manifested on my palm. Raising my palm away from me, I applied more chakra. I watched in fascination as the big red ball increased in size and intensity. I cut off the chakra flow and it dissipated.

I seem to be able to do what I used to, but I need to work on my stamina and chakra control some more. As much as I appreciate that I now have the vitality of an Uzumaki, there's no such thing as 'maximum stamina' for a shinobi or 'perfect chakra control'.

After putting back the first-aid kit back at home, I went back to the hospital and substituted myself with my clone before dispelling it.

* * *

I woke up to a soft green chakra and prodding on my arm. The medic was about to unwrap the bandages on my arm but I immediately pulled away.

The medic yelped.

"U-Uzumaki-san, I need access to your arm so we can monitor your health," she stammered. Man, I feel bad now. My eyes caught Hiruzen-jiji's chakra, the yellow flickering with red and traces of gray.

"Don't worry about it, medic-san. There's no need for it. Hokage-sama is on his way to talk to me," I said, offering a smile.

"A-Alright, I'll take my leave for now," she said and fled the room. I sighed. Did I do something wrong? I just pulled away from her. I hope I didn't hurt her feelings that much.

I pushed the curtain away from the window and looked at the village. People were already up and about. I wonder if I could see Naruto today? However, I need to talk to Hiruzen-jiji about becoming a shinobi first. I have no reason to hide my non-Rinnegan related skills. I could just easily say that I'm the Yondaime's apprentice. And I need to be a registered shinobi to be able to leave the village legally.

And most of all, I need to let him know that my allegiance is with Konoha.

There was a knock on the door and came in Hiruzen-jiji. I suppressed a smile.

"…Rai-kun, how are you feeling?" He asked as he pulled a chair and took a seat.

"I'm… I feel better, Hokage-sama." He nodded solemnly at my response. Moments later, I saw Kakashi's chakra appear from outside and the next thing I know, he opened the window and stepped into the room. I noticed that he wasn't moving, so I looked at his face and met his eyes.

He was… worried?

I just realized how much he had grown. And to think, he's the one teaching my son and my best friend's son. He has come a long way hasn't he? If I was my old self, I would really want to apologize to him for leaving him alone. He lost his only family and both his teammates. Not too long after that, he lost Kushina and I to another tragedy. I'm a little relieved that he's much more carefree and happier than before.

" **MINATO!** " I jerked back in surprise.

"S-Sorry, Hokage-sama, I was lost in…" I just realized my mistake.

Shit. _Shit._ Did he know? Why did he call me with my name? How did he know?!

"Calm down." I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I looked up at Hiruzen-jiji. How did he know?

"H-How?! How did you – what, what happened?" I asked desperately. This time, it was Kakashi who spoke.

"You were mumbling things before you passed out. And… the Shinigami was behind you." My eyes widened. The Shinigami? So it was him! That voice that I was hearing before I felt the pain from my head.

"The fact that you're with us again is amazing. However, I need to know what happened, Minato," he said, his truthful eyes spiking an onslaught of emotions within me. I clenched my hands on my lap, ignoring the slight sting that came with it.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I failed," I whispered.

"Sensei?" My head snapped back up to him.

"K-Kakashi, I'm sorry. I'm sorry Hiruzen-jiji. I failed," I said and clenched my jaw.

Warmth enveloped me as I stared over Kakashi's shoulder in shock. I glanced at the Hokage who was looking at me with a small smile.

"I'm… I'm glad you're here, Sensei." Uncontrollable tears started to fall and I squeezed Kakashi as if my life depended on it.

"Minato, my boy, you didn't fail. The years of peace that Konoha had and is experiencing, they owe it all to you," Hiruzen-jiji said as he patted my head affectionately. My lower lip trembled as a sob escaped me. Kakashi released me and I quickly wiped my face.

"It… It was hard. I had no idea what was going on. When I woke up, I woke up to faces that weren't familiar. I was at a loss on why I have these eyes. I didn't remember anything back then. But now that I remembered what happened, it hurt so much. Kushina was gone. Naruto, he's a genin now. It hurts so much to realize that I wasn't there when I was needed. And I was brought back by the Shinigami. For what? It's like he's rubbing it in my face that – that I'm never going to be enough," I stopped, realized I was rambling.

I stared up at Hiruzen-jiji. "May I become a shinobi again, Hiruzen-jiji?"

He grinned. "I was wondering how long before you were going to ask me that."

"I never thought I'd see you in a lower rank than a jōnin, Minato-sensei," Kakashi said with a smile. I snorted at that.

"Heh, I'll show you the power of a _genin_ , alright," I joked as I smiled in return.

"Then it's decided, you will be tested tomorrow by Kakashi at the stadium." I nodded.

"Hiruzen-jiji, I think it's best if I'm referred to as Uzumaki Rai in public. Kami knows how much complication that's going to bring if people knew I'm a former hokage."

"Of course. Kakashi?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Sorry, Minato-kun. I have to go now. Don't forget about tomorrow, you'll have an audience." I nodded at his words.

"Hai, Hiruzen-jiji. After I get my shinobi registration done, I can help you with paperwork," I offered. He visibly brightened up. Ah, paperwork is a pain in the ass after all.

"I would appreciate that, Minato-kun," he smiled and gave me another pat on the head before leaving the room.

"Ne, Sensei… Do you want to get out of here? You could observe my team if you want," Kakashi asked. I looked at him and smiled softly.

"Of course, Kakashi. I'm feeling fine, so why not?" I responded and stood from the bed. He gave me an eye-smile.

"But you aren't discharged yet, Sensei," he said. I sighed. What the hell.

"They can't really stop me, can they?" I asked with a grin on my face. Kakashi chuckled mischievously and stood up as well. He then perched himself on the window and disappeared. I quickly reached under my pillow and snatched my Hiraishin kunai, sealing it into my arm and jumped right after Kakashi.

'Thank you, Kakashi.'

* * *

Team Seven was in Training Ground 3, already expecting Kakashi to be late. The Uchiha sat under a tree with his eyes closed while their female teammate stared at him longingly. Naruto was at the side, grumbling at the scene before him.

He sighed and lied on his back, staring up at the canopy of leaves. The breeze blew across the field softly and his lids grew heavy. It was the perfect time to nap.

"Yo."

Sakura and Naruto screamed in fright at the sudden presence. The three genin looked up to see their sensei being _punctual_. Naruto stood up and animatedly jabbed a finger in his teacher's direction.

"W-Who are you and what did you do to Kakashi-sensei?!"

"Maa, Naruto. I didn't get lost on the road of life today," their teacher said, giving them a smile. Sakura fumed, but she let it go. At least he's not late.

"Your team is quite lively, Kakashi," a voice sounded behind the jōnin.

"R-Rai! You're okay? Jiji said that you were at the hospital!" Naruto exclaimed as he glanced at Rai's bandaged arms.

"Aa, Naruto. Just a headache," Rai said with a smile. The stoic Uchiha narrowed his eyes at the newcomer. Something about his smile unnerved him. He looked closely and he could almost say that the redhead wanted to cry, despite the joyful expression. He shrugged.

"Alright, everyone. Start with the warm-up and we'll work on chakra control and Shunshin," Kakashi said before taking out his favorite orange book. His students brightened up and immediately started running laps across the entire field. Rai followed the three and also began running.

Haruno Sakura thought that Rai was acting strange. Something was different, although she couldn't really point it out. It felt like she was looking at a different person. She brushed off the thought when she realized that her speed was slowing down. She picked up her pace and tried to catch up to Naruto.

Kakashi, perched on a tree branch, almost laughed when he saw his sensei running with his team. It brought on feelings of nostalgia and amusement. It was very weird to see his dear old sensei running laps with his genin. However, he felt strangely contented too. He smiled despite himself as he watched his sensei beside Naruto. Red and yellow. Just like old times.

As soon as he could see the two genin heave for breath and their sweat drip down their backs, he stopped them and instructed them to do stretches.

The three glared at Rai. He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Uh, did I do something wrong?"

"How are you so flexible?!" Naruto asked and Sakura nodded her head in agreement. Sasuke stared at Rai, waiting for his answer.

"P-Practice?" The redhead answered hesitantly.

"You're more flexible than Sakura-chan! Maybe you really are a girl!" Naruto exclaimed as he pointed a shaking finger at his relative. The look of shock and mortification on Rai's face almost made Kakashi drop to the ground and laugh until there were tears in his eyes.

He stopped the conversation before it turned into an argument.

"First, we're going to work on chakra control. You're going to do tree-walking, but, you have to catch him," Kakashi said, shutting his book close. There was a scary gleam in Rai's eyes that made Kakashi shudder inwardly. He sighed. He already knew that his students won't be able to catch him.

"Ready? Start!"

Rai took off in a flash of red, leaving the three genin behind in surprise. The Uchiha was the first to recompose himself and rushed to the direction where the Uzumaki disappeared to. Luckily, he had his Sharingan on. Naruto and Sakura leapt to the trees after their teammate.

It took them a while before they even managed to keep the Uzumaki disappearing from their sight. Sasuke glared, he can't let a no-rank kid beat him.

* * *

The training was over after half an hour of trying to chase me and a few hours of the genin working on their shunshin.

"Alright, my cute little genin," Kakashi initiated, pocketing his favorite novel. "Tomorrow, at nine in the morning, be at the stadium. We won't be training until little Rai here finishes with his exams tomorrow."

I grinned, despite feeling my eye twitch when Kakashi called me little.

"Aa, I'll become an official shinobi tomorrow."

"How are you so strong? You're not even a genin," Sasuke said as he glared at me. I sweat-dropped at his statement.

"Ranks are not everything, Sasuke. And I'd like to say that practice makes me better," I responded with a grin.

"Hn. You look like the dobe with that face," He barked, eyeing me.

"Who are you calling dobe, you bastard!" Came Naruto's reaction.

I felt my eye twitch. Of course we would look like, I'm his father – wait. It's probably our Uzumaki genes, since I was born an Uzumaki this time. I smiled sadly. If Kushina was here, it would look like she has two sons, wouldn't she?

"Rai-kun, are you okay?" I looked up at the Haruno in surprise. I smiled at her and nodded. "Don't worry about me, Sakura." She didn't appear convinced. Man, I need to control my expressions more. I can't have them worry about me when they should worry about themselves. Especially with the upcoming Chūnin exams.

"Kakashi's treating us to lunch! Let's go before they run out of seats," I said as I laughed at Kakashi's defeated expression. Naruto glowed in excitement. Oh no, I already know what he's going to say–

"Can we go to Ichiraku Ramen? Please? _Please?_ " He begged like a kid wanting candy. How, how can I say no? Crap. And ramen actually sounds good right now.

I heard Sasuke click his tongue and Sakura whimper in protest. Kakashi just smiled at them.

"No, Naruto! We had that last time, and the lunch we had before that! You need proper meals. You're a growing shinobi, you know?!" Sakura scolded him. My lips twitched upward as I watched them with nostalgia swirling in my stomach.

We were soon sitting at in a booth in Yakiniku Q. The place was not as busy as I expected, since it was already past lunch. The aroma of cooked marinated meat filled my nose as we waited for the lady to bring us our food.

Sasuke leaned back to the wall as he sat quietly. He was sitting at the head of the table, which was to my left. To my right was Sakura who looks like she's about to eat a meal for ten people. Naruto looks about the same, his stomach growling once or twice. Kakashi and I just sweat-dropped at them.

"Rai. How did you glide over the tree branches?" Sasuke asked. I raised my brows, not expecting him to be this talkative at all. But I guess that's a good thing? I scratched the back of my head as I smiled sheepishly. Kakashi and the rest listened in on our conversation.

"You noticed that? Well, I was um using wind manipulation?" He glared at me. I put up my hands in surrender.

"Fine, you got me, haha. I was using gravity manipulation," I responded before sipping my tea.

"A kekkei genkai?" Sasuke grunted before drinking from his tea as well. I shook my head no. I should go along with what he's trying to say then.

"If it's a kekkei genkai, then Naruto should have it too. Since he doesn't, I'm thinking I'm the first generation to have it?" I finished unsurely. Sasuke just grunted before turning back to his tea. I glanced to my right and saw Sakura staring at him, her lips partially open.

"Teme! Who knew you could talk like a normal human being!" Naruto clutched at his sides as he tried to control his laughter.

"Shut up, dobe!" Oh boy. A fired-up banter started and Kakashi tried calming them down. The lady that brought us our food backed away from our table as soon as she put down the plates of various meat.

"Naruto's right. Sasuke-kun doesn't talk much, so it was surprising to see him start a conversation with you. He doesn't do that with anyone, not even me…" My expression saddened at what she said. I turned to her and smiled.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I guess everybody has their own pace of opening up to other people. He just doesn't show it, but he cares," I whispered the last part. She stared at me, her eyes shining. Shit, did I say something wrong? Before I could ask, she turned away.

"A-Are you okay?" I asked unsurely. I leaned a little to see her face. She looked at me incredulously and the next thing I know, she was shrieking and my face was being covered by her hand.

"Rai-baka! Nothing's wrong," she insisted. I tilted my head to the side a little.

"Are you sure? You looked like you're having a fever." Kakashi laughed and sent me a look. What?

We grilled the meat and ate happily. The jōnin mourned for his flattened wallet. He also kept on glancing at me and I swear I heard him whisper something under his breath.

What the hell is a 'cradle robber'?

* * *

"Thanks for the lunch, Kakashi! I'll pay next time when I get my first paycheck as a shinobi," I called out before he disappeared with an eye-smile and a salute.

I turned to the three genin and asked, "So what are you guys going to do?"

"Training," Sasuke said and turned to leave. I blinked. "I hope you don't mind me dropping by later," I said. I heard him grunt before he disappeared in a corner. I think that's a yes?

"I usually just go home and read books," Sakura responded. Naruto looked mortified at her answer.

"Aa, Naruto. Books are tools on adjusting one's mind," I chastised. He mumbled before answering. "I usually train on my own, or prank Iruka-sensei or decorate the jōnin lounge!" He said with a grin. I seriously think his 'decorations' had the jōnin chasing after him.

"If you guys aren't busy, I was hoping if you could help me find a blacksmith and a place where they sell shinobi gear." Naruto looked a little lost in thought.

"I know a place where they make weapons _and_ shinobi gear," Sakura said. "It's a shop run by a family friend," she said. I nodded, and said, "Lead the way Sakura. Come on, Naruto! You and Sakura are helping me pick clothes."

I wasn't even able to see the name of the shop when Sakura pushed me inside. I was listening to Naruto talk about the pranks he did at the academy. Poor Iruka-sensei. He must've had a huge headache every time Naruto pulls a prank.

The shop itself was spacious. There was a wide variety of weapons displayed, as well as clothes on the opposite side. A girl was sitting by the counter and she brightened up when she glanced at our group. This must be Tenten.

"Sakura-chan! How have you been?" She greeted.

"I'm doing good, Tenten-san. My friend here is looking for um, shinobi clothes," Sakura said as she nudged me forward.

"Hi, I'm Tenten. You don't look familiar. Are you new here?" Tenten asked. Gotta appreciate that straightforwardness. I nodded and gestured to Naruto.

"I'm Uzumaki Rai, a relative of Naruto. A pleasure to meet you." I greeted and bowed. She looked at me strangely for a second before smiling.

"Go ahead, there's a lot of choices right now since we just restocked two days ago. Call me if you need help," she waved before turning her attention back to a customer who just approached. The three of us went on our way and started going through the fabrics.

"Where's that one orange shirt that I saw?!" I sweat-dropped at his exclamation.

"Would orange look good on me? I mean, I want to be practical, but fashionable this time…" I trailed off.

"This time?" Sakura's confused face came into my view. I scratched the back of my head and replied a quick 'nothing' to her. Her eyes narrowed and she sighed.

"I think red would look good on you," Sakura said as she went to another rack. "Red and black," she added.

"Un! Your hair looks awesome, Rai! Let's get some red and black for you," Naruto cheered as he vanished, searching in another rack. I was left in silence.

'Naruto… I said the same thing to your mom,' I thought as I looked away from the spot he was in. I spent my time looking for something red in silence. 'Red huh?' I paused when something caught my eye. It was a dark red sleeveless shirt. It looked so plain, just how I like my clothes. Taking it from the hanger, my eyes widened as I felt the fabric.

'Looks can be deceiving,' I thought. The cloth was thick enough to withstand some battering. Hm, I could work with this. It'll take some time to get used it, since I've worn long-sleeved tops most my life. I think the change will be better for me.

"Rai-kun, I found something that you might like." I approached the direction where Sakura's voice came from and saw that she was holding up a pair of dark gray pants. It had side pockets where I can put some scrolls and kunai in. Not bad.

"Thank you, Sakura. I like it," I said while taking it from her.

"N-No problem," she said before storming off. Probably to find Naruto? I shrugged and looked for armguards to conceal the seals on my arm.

Get it?

…

Shut up, I'm hilarious.

…

Ugh fine, that was really bad.

I found black armguards that extended up right before my elbows. Taking a look on how they're put on, I grinned when I saw that they're stretchable through chakra application. Perfect. I took a pair of standard black shinobi sandals and a black-banded hip pack.

I went back to the counter and greeted Tenten. I activated my seal in my left forearm and took out some money that I took from my stash in the basement back home. I gave her a generous tip and I went to look for Naruto and Sakura. It turns out that they were looking for me.

"Hey guys, are you alright?" I asked, seeing Sakura pissed and Naruto was pouting. Naruto was the first to recover and said, "Let's go eat, Rai! I'm kinda hungry."

My eyes widened. Didn't we just eat?

"But we just ate," Sakura voiced my thoughts.

"Oh crap, I have to go back to the inn. I forgot that I still have my things there," I panicked. My cane with the souls, ugh, I don't even know what to do with it. I pulled myself out of my thoughts and turned to the two.

"Thank you so much, Naruto, Sakura. I appreciate what you guys have done for me." I smiled at them.

"No worries, Rai! I'll help you out, no matter what. Believe it!" My heart clenched a little when I heard his verbal tick. So much like Kushina's. The face on my smile hurt.

"Go rest, Rai-kun. Tomorrow's a very important day. We'll cheer for you," Sakura said. I nodded and my smile eased.

"Thanks again, I'll see you guys tomorrow." With that, I left in haste before I ended up crying again.

* * *

The night sky shone through the window of my room. There were barely any people on the streets as darkness swathed the village.

And here I am, just staring up at the bland ceiling, not even close to getting some sleep. It seems that my exams tomorrow is getting the best of me.

I sighed and pushed myself up. It's no use wasting time if I could train. I could show my skills with the Hiraishin, but not my skills with the Rinnegan – which led me to the idea that I should use my cane as my primary weapon.

I looked around the training field where I taught Naruto how to water-walk. I was satisfied that nobody was there, not even Kakashi. Huh, since he stopped tailing me, maybe tomorrow is going to be the moment of truth if I was really Namikaze Minato or not.

I smirked.

Hiruzen-jiji still got that war blood in him.

Channeling my chakra through the cane, I directed the energy in a spherical motion. I grinned as a blood-red Rasengan formed at the tip of the cane. I pulled back the chakra and dissipated the jutsu. I couldn't help but notice that the Rasengan had a strange feel to it. It felt almost… sinister.

"Must be the souls," I whispered, remembering the three men I killed. If I had more souls, I wonder what would happen? This could prove to be useful on the incoming invasion. I grinned. I could almost feel the warmth of the souls in my hand. Especially Orochimaru, I won't let him hurt Hiruzen-jiji.

My grin dropped from my face.

'What am I thinking?' I thought morosely as I gripped the cane in my left hand. I wish Kushina was here. She kept the insanity from eating me. The war with Iwa flashed before my eyes. How they hailed me as the Yellow Flash. How proud the people were when I became Hokage, known to have single-handedly taken down hundreds of shinobi in a matter of minutes. However, killing so many people can only take someone far enough until they give in to the plague of their minds.

"Tch," I clicked my tongue and switched the cane onto my right hand. I kept on moving my body through familiar stances and strikes, trying to distract myself from my thoughts.

I made my chakra flow through the cane again while increasing its temperature. The soft glow of the fire coating the cane illuminated the place before it grew brighter as I channeled my chakra more raggedly. Red lightning danced like a deadly ballerina, crackling on the very air it touched.

Everything is so red.

I pulled back the chakra and channeled it lightly this time. Flattening out the expanse of chakra on the cane, I whipped it down. Water flew in the air and a large gash on the soil beside me exploded. I winced, hoping that wasn't too loud.

Rinnegan made the manipulation of the elements better, since it's easier to piece out how to correctly channel chakra.

There was a gray trace of chakra not too far from me. I composed myself and dissipated the wind chakra from my cane. I made a shadow clone and sparred dutifully with it, using my cane on my left hand. Those grayed out chakra that almost felt nothing… I had no doubt that it's Danzō's Root. Crap, so he's keeping an eye on me now? I just hope he won't try to bring me into the Root program.

I lost track of time as my clone and I sparred. At some point, I dropped my cane and worked on my taijutsu and speed. Heh, it seems that I still have it in me.

The gray disappeared. I sighed in relief and dropped to the ground. My clone dispelled and I absorbed the information it had. Picking up my cane, I went back to my room at the inn and shut the door silently.

"What a night," I mumbled while rubbing my face tiredly. Walking on my way to the bed, I stopped at my reflection on the mirror by the closet door. I stepped closer, as if seeing someone else in it. I reached out and touched the mirror, my reflection mimicking my movement perfectly.

Holy crap. I just realized that I looked like my old self, except for the hair and eyes of course. I chuckled because of the sad humor I see. If Kushina and I had a second child… perhaps, that child would have looked like I did right now.

I grabbed my hair and tugged it upwards but let it drop back down. I'm not going to wear my hair like Kushina did. I'll move forward like she said. 'The past is meant to be remembered and the present to be lived in. That's what you taught me to help me survive all the loss,' I sadly thought. Clenching my fists in determination, I strengthened my resolve.

I'm still me, no matter if people see me as Rai or Minato. My past has made me into who I am today. I can't afford regrets, lest I lose sight of myself. I'll protect what's precious to me, and I will cut down anybody who gets in the way.

'Just you watch, Naruto. I'll be someone who you can be proud of.'

Stepping near the bed, I put the cane down and flopped on the lumpy mattress. I smiled as I wiped my tears. 'No more crying,' I told myself.

Tomorrow, the world will know who I am once again.

* * *

 **A/N:** Rai's gonna surprise a lot of people in the next chapter, heehee. Thanks for reading!


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